Oh my god, FINALLY! A book about horses where it is obvious that the author has been around horses and ridden them and knows all about the sport (eventing) and its nuances! This may sound like I'm praising the bare minimum, but I have only ever once before read a book where it was clear that the author knew what they were talking about when it came to horses. This is truly amazing!

This was so much fun and I really got to enjoy it because of all the accurate horse information.

I was also so happy to see that this was about eventing. I love eventing! I think that every rider, no matter their discipline, needs to train some dressage and cross country (it is so much fun and so good for you and your skills). I loved that we got to see detailed moments of the main character training and competing in each of the three categories of eventing. And I especially loved that we got to see her doing regular chores around the barn. This felt like such a real and relatable portrayal of being an equestrian/horse person, especially a competing one that has big goals.

This was also a super quick read for me and I attribute that to me being so happy about the accuracy that I just had to keep reading. I probably finished this is less than three hours, probably more like two.

I'd recommend this to all the horse girlies! This reminded me of the grown up and eventing version of The A Circuit series (by Georgina Bloomberg), so if you've been looking for another book series like that, I would HIGHLY recommend this to you. And yes, this is a series. And yes, I will be reading the next books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Having read the original edition of 'Ambition,' I was comparing the story as presented in the original text versus this new edition's version. For established fans of the Eventing Series, let me say: do not worry. All the story beats are still very much here. But the narrative is now better than ever!

For one, I think the Becky/Jules and Becky/Pete situations are a lot cleaner in this edition. I better understood Becky's disillusionment with Jules (and later, Pete) with the narrative as presented here. Those issues she had with Jules and Pete existed in the original text, but Becky is SO much easier to understand in this edition!

For another, Jules's attraction and initial confusion about her feelings regarding Pete are finally here! Hooray! Jules is so openly hostile to him that, without the reader knowing that she's feeling the sparks fly whenever she runs into Pete, Pete's pursuit of Jules is hard to rationalize. Seeing the fluttery beginnings of their relationship as Jules puzzles her feelings out is highly satisfying.

But, most importantly, we understand Jules better. She is every bit the proud, prickly, ambitious young woman we know her to be at the beginning of her story, but she's a lot more sympathetic now. The insights into Jules's head have been refined to provide clarity to her motivations and decisions.

This is a beautifully rendered beginning to an incredible series. If you are new to the Eventing series, get ready to climb on board and grab mane for an adventure with Jules, Pete, Mickey, Dynamo, Regina, Lacey, and the gang that you are going to love! I for one cannot wait to revisit the Eventing Series with these awesome new editions!

Natalie Keller Reinert’s writing captures the heart and spirit of competitive eventing with such vivid emotion that you can practically hear the thundering hooves and feel the adrenaline of the course. Jules is a fiercely driven character, and her determination to succeed, even at the risk of losing everything, is both inspiring and heart-wrenching. The romance adds a tender touch to the intense world of horse riding, grounding the story in the push-pull of ambition and connection. Reinert masterfully blends the high-stakes competition with deeply personal struggles, making this a story not just about horses, but about the sacrifices and resilience it takes to pursue your dreams. This is a beautifully written, passionate journey, and I found myself utterly engrossed in it.